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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · prune · lie · tube · face · pass · racket · straw

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. face — part of the head
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. lie — to recline
  14. face — to confront
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pass — a permit
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com